Lung cancer kills more people in the US than breast, prostate, colon, liver, kidney and melanoma cancers combined. The National Cancer Institute estimates that, in 2006, nearly twice as many women will die from lung cancer than from breast cancer; more than three times as many men will die from lung cancer as from prostate cancer.  Since 1972, when Congress declared war on cancer, the 5 year survival rates for breast, prostate and colon cancers have risen to 88%, 99% and 65% respectively.  Lung cancer's 5 year survival rate is still only 15%. This year alone, 162,000 people will die of lung cancer in the US: nearly one third of all cancer deaths. It is the nation’s second most lethal killer behind heart disease but it gets very little respect and even less funding.

The public and the Congress have been content to blame it all on personal behavior. The cloud of smoking has poisoned the climate for all lung cancer victims and has stifled the generosity of the American people. Many assume lung cancer patients must be smokers; therefore, they brought the disease upon themselves. As a lifelong non-smoker, I smugly maintained that attitude until I was diagnosed with lung cancer 20 months ago. Every year, roughly 20,000 people who never were smokers are diagnosed with this killer disease. It is not just about smokers.

There are lots of high risk groups who are never smokers. They include people exposed to second hand smoke, asbestos, radon, radium and other radioactive materials.  Because of Agent Orange exposure among Viet Nam era vets, all instances of lung cancer in that population are presumed to be service connected 

Veterans are one high risk group for whom screening clearly should be made available on an expedited basis. Two studies have shown that Veterans are 25% to 75% more likely to develop this disease than the general public. Vietnam veterans who were exposed to Agent Orange (as was I ) are just now entering the age bracket when lung cancer is most likely to manifest itself. For the taxpayer and the Veterans Administration (VA), the benefits to screening are economic as well as humanitarian: it costs half as much to treat someone in Stage One as it does to treat a late stage lung cancer patient.  It is pay now and save lives, or pay double for dying patients.

Congress inserted language in the 2007 VA Appropriations Act encouraging the VA to fund a screening trial employing this same CT methodology that was so successful in this study.  The Department of Defense (DoD) should start a similar trial among active duty and retired personnel However, getting these studies onto the VA’s and DoD’s priority lists will take a push from you. 

When I was planning air defenses, I always used this simple fire doctrine: Shoot the wolf nearest the sled first. As a veteran, lung cancer may be the wolf that is closest to your sled.  It is clearly the number cause of cancer deaths among veterans.  It is the Big Wolf and we are late in taking our shot at it. Take action to get this recognized by your Veterans Group so they can guide the VA and DoD to fund lung cancer screening efforts with this newly proven technology.